Fast food increases depression risk, study says

Eating fast food and baked goods has been linked to an increased chance of damaging a person’s mental health, according to a study.

The study by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Granada in Spain found people who consume fast foods on a regular basis are are 51% more likely to develop depression, according to PsychCentral.

The results also showed that those participants who ate the most fast food and commercial baked goods were more likely to be single, less active and have poor dietary habits (eating less fruit, nuts, fish, vegetables and olive oil). It was also common for individuals in this group to smoke and work over 45 hours per week.

The study, which was published in Public Health Nutrition, is not the first to connect burgers, fries and donuts to poor mental health. The Mayo Clinic has previously cited a British study that tied junk food to symptoms of depression in middle-age people.